


Marina's Struggle

by SquidSensei



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Other, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29728314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquidSensei/pseuds/SquidSensei
Summary: This takes place at the beginning of season 2 of The Magicians.  Avoid this fic if you wish to avoid spoilers!***SPOILER WARNING***Julia and The Beast have confronted Reynard the Fox in Marina's loft.  When Penny arrives to take The Beast back to Fillory, Julia chases after him, reluctant to let this chance slip through her fingers.  The quick actions leave a mess of a situation in Marina's apartment - one she needs to summon the courage to clean up.
Kudos: 2





	Marina's Struggle

The hedge witch stared openly at the frozen fox before her. He’d inverted her familiar, robbed her of her fingers, and now stood frozen. She looked to her two saviors, Julia and this, this _Beast_ , anxiety creeping into her stomach. Every second that this standoff dragged on, she felt more and more uneasy about the outcome. 

“Are you going to kill him or what?” The question came out full of impatience and fear. Julia seemed to want to revel in this moment, soaking in her moment for revenge. Marina had been in this world long enough to know that the moment you enjoyed your victory, everything would crash around you. 

“...Gladly,” Julia replied, pulling out a dagger from her sheathe far slower than Marina would have liked. She would have grabbed it herself and done the deed, but she lacked the ligaments to do so efficiently, and she didn’t dare move closer. Even while he was frozen, everything in her screamed to stay away. 

“He’s fighting it,” the gentleman claimed. “I’m not sure how much longer I can hold this.” Despite the situation, he seemed eerily calm. Marina wondered if he was actually trying, if he was truly exerting himself, or if their opponent was...just that overpowering. She had a terrible feeling that she knew the answer. 

Finally, _finally_ Julia stepped forward, only for a man unfamiliar to Marina to appear between her and the fox. Julia barely let out a scream of refusal before he lunged for the only thing keeping the fox in check, and Julia, like an idiot, ran after him. Within the blink of an eye, the three of them were gone, Julia’s god-killing knife clattering to the floor.

And the fox began to move. 

Marina suddenly felt her stomach drop, as if she were on some roller coaster about to descend from an impossible height. Her heart pounded in her chest, telling her to run. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her limbs, fueling her ambitions, whether she chose fight or flight. Before her, Reynard the Fox rolled his joints a moment, shaking off the remnants of the spell. 

Then he looked at her, and they both looked to the knife Julia had left behind. In a split second, Marina made a decision. 

While Reynard lunged for the knife, the tool that could be his undoing, Marina made a different choice. With her in-tact left hand and the remaining fingers on her right, she picked up the chair he’d bound her to, and slammed it into him, legs first. The sudden physical contact wasn’t something he’d been ready for, and while bound to a mortal’s body, he was susceptible. In that brief moment, that millisecond of surprise, Marina grabbed the knife. 

And, boy, did it burn. 

The metal released a hiss as it rejected her hand, searing her skin. Yet, Marina didn’t feel the pain. Not at full blast, anyway. Her body was fighting to survive, and it seemed that all of her pain receptors were away for this little incident.

Reynard the Fox threw away the chair, hurdling it into the wall and splintering it into pieces. Just as he locked his eyes on Marina, the blade pierced his throat, hissing and complaining all the while. His eyes were wide, angry, and...shocked. They were met by a wild, fearful gaze from Marina, who only moved her eyes to watch the blood pour over the dagger. 

In that moment, his hands went for her throat, and his legs pushed, toppling her over and gaining the upper hand. On the floor beneath him, Marina twisted the knife as his hands tightened around her neck. 

“Vessels don’t die quite that quickly, darling,” he sneered, though crimson fluid bubbled out of his mouth as he spoke, dripping down his chin and onto her cheeks. “I’ll take you with me.” 

Marina struggled, her legs kicking to gain some sort of advantage, and her hands pushing the dagger to the hilt. She’d felt it pierce the other side of his neck what felt like ages ago, yet his hands continued to clutch her airway. She could feel the pressure building up in her head, the urge to breathe almost overcoming her urge to fight. 

“Just die already!” The shout used what little air she had left, and she pulled out the dagger, causing him to stutter with the motion. More blood. Her hands found a new spot, this time in the chest, and pierced him. More hissing. She found another one, near the ribs. The shoulder. Over, and over again, Marina stabbed him, begging and pleading with herself to successfully kill him. She had to, or she wouldn’t be leaving this apartment in anything but a body bag. 

Finally, after what in reality was ten seconds, the grip on her throat loosened slowly until it released, the vessel falling limp on top of her. Marina gasped for air, releasing the dagger and shoving her attacker off of her, to the side. For a few moments, she sat, breathing, calming herself. She felt the urge to cry, to scream, but withheld it. She’d won. There was no need to cry. As she sat in her loft, awaiting her logical thinking to return, the pain began to catch up with her. The missing fingers, the bruises that were inevitably forming on her throat, the third degree burn on her hand… and it hurt. After a few moments of enjoying the pain of being alive, Marina pulled out her cell phone with her left hand, the one that still had all of her ligaments. She dialed a number, and took a shaky breath. 

“Henry? I know I’m the last person you want to hear from, but … I need medical attention, and you know a hospital can’t help me.” She paused, listening to the reply, and promptly frowned. “Quit being a prick. I killed that murderer for you, so your precious students are safe. You owe me.” She paused again, rolled her eyes. “I’ll be there in fifteen. Make sure you’re ready for me.” 

After hanging up, she took one last glance at Reynard, and her inverted familiar. She swallowed her emotions, opened her door, shut it, and locked it. Cleaning up was a problem for tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> I just started watching The Magicians with a friend, and we finally finished The Beast arc! I really loved Marina towards the end, and I was so sad to see her go like she did in the show. I felt like I just had to write an alternate ending for her, one that showed how strong she really is. I'm not saying this is how it should have played out, but it would have been nice, is all I'm saying.  
> I really hope you enjoy this short work of fiction, and I would love to hear your feedback in the comments!  
> Have a wonderful day!


End file.
